An actuator may be used to adjust a position of a lens by displacing the lens in an optical axis direction, such as for autofocusing and/or zooming operations of a camera. Such a camera may comprise a miniature camera to be employed in small-sized electronic apparatuses such as a cellular phone and/or a personal digital assistant (PDA), just to name a few examples. An actuator typically includes an electrical coil disposed within a magnetic field of a permanent magnet, for example. Such an actuator may displace a lens by virtue of an interaction between a magnetic field generated by an electrical current flowing through the coil and the magnetic field of the permanent magnet.
As the popularity of cell phone cameras and other miniature camera applications continues to increase, designers may face a challenge of providing such miniature cameras that are increasingly lightweight and more easily manufactured. Accordingly, components that may be employed in a miniature camera, such as an actuator, may provide an opportunity to realize such lighter and more easily manufactured cameras if such components themselves are lighter and more easily produced.